I'll See You in Middelplein!

TEAM PORTRAIT

VIDEO (by the team)

INTERVIEW
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1. How do you define the main issue of your project in relation with the theme “Living Cities Imagining architecture taking care of the milieus”? And in which way do you think your project can contribute to an ecological and/or social evolution?
We believe that the climate-change and social justice questions are two sides of the same coin. In Schorsmolen we were confronted with an urban regeneration task that required an holistic and integral approach to these challenges. We propose a vision aimed at creating a living environment that would foster the wellbeing of its community. The projects' pillars are: activate the public realm, realising places to meet; connect the neighbourhood to its surroundings and improve accessibility; strengthen the ecological structure to accommodate biodiversity and climate-adaptation measures; upgrade the housing stock and provide new live-work concepts.

2. How did the issues of your design and the questions raised by the site mutation meet?
The urban regeneration of post-war neighbourhoods, such as Schorsmolen, is an urgent task facing the rapidly changing economy and society, and the climate emergency. The strategy we proposed is based on the principle of upgrading: taking the most of what is already available, realising key improvements through a series of focused architecture and public space interventions that can be developed at different stages. We are convinced that this approach has potential to be replicated in similar urban areas, in The Netherlands and abroad.

PROJECT:

Upgraded housing blocks with new deck. Section.

3. Have you treated these issues previously? What were the reference projects that inspired yours?
We have experience with similar urban regeneration assignments, connecting urban planning, landscape, and architecture disciplines. Previously, we worked at the urban design offices in The Netherlands engaged in inner-city transformations in socially sensitive areas. We learned to use design and participation tools working for the public, in complex processes involving a multiplicity of stakeholders.

SITE:

The housing blocks: parking in the courtyard, little variation in housing types.

4. How can your project be implemented together with the actors through a negotiated process and in time. How did you consider this issue in your project?
Our vision for Schorsmolen is meant to serve as an inspiration for a participation process to be conducted with the local municipality. The project consists in a series of interventions per block, tied together by public space and key connections through the neighbourhood. Citizens, owners, housing corporations, and businesses shall be structurally involved in the process as prerequisite for its success.

REFERENCES:

Spreeveld cooperative housing project, Berlin. Photo credits: Giacomo Gallo

Participative design process for a post-war neighbourhood in Amsterdam. Credits: MUST, Giacomo Gallo

Lacaton & Vassal, apartment units in Saint-Nazaire, France. Photo credits: Philippe Ruault.

5. How did you form the team for the competition and if so what are the skills you associated?
The approach and programme we intended to follow in Schorsmolen were pretty clear after a first visit to the site. We decided to tackle the competition task in a straightforward and efficient manner, with a very compact team. The strength of our team is to be able to connect process, urban design, landscape, and architecture expertises.

6. How could this prize help you in your professional career?
A couple of months prior to the Europan competition launch we decided to embrace an independent design career and started the studio NEW ENVIRONMENTS. Being awarded the first prize gives us the opportunity to connect directly with potential clients and stakeholders for an urban assignment that represents our design vision. We now work to transform our initial ideas into more concrete plans that we hope shall serve as a starting point for discussion on the ongoing developments in Breda, also in connection to the other Europan 17 sites.

TEAM IDENTITY
Legal status: Urban design studio
Team name: NEW ENVIRONMENTS
Average age of the associates: 32 years old

Has your team, together or separately, already conceived or implemented some projects and/or won any competition? if so, which ones?
Besides Europan 17, we collaborate on other projects. At the moment we are both involved as a team in a research-by-design assignment on street design, in partnership with three Dutch municipalities, funded by the Creative Industries Fund.

WORKS:

Schorsmolen (NL) - Winner

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